moore



2 Sheets-Sheet; 1.

Patented Oct. 6, 1896.

D. MOP. MOORE. MEANS FOR GENERATING ELBGTRIG WAVES 0R OSGILLATIONS. No. 568,863.

(No Model.)

INVE 70/? 8 M n w W (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. D. McF. MOORE. MEANS FOR GENERATING ELECTRIC WAVES OEOSGILLATIONS. No. 568,863.

Patented Oct. 6, 1896.

WITNESSES:

m: NORRIS PETERS o0. PHOTO-LITNQ, WASNXNGYON. u. c.

NlTED STATES PATENT rricn.

DANIEL MOFARLAN MOORE, OF NEYVARK, NEWV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE MOORE ELECTRICAL COMPANY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR GENERATING ELECTRIC WAVES OR OSCILLATIONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,863, dated October 6, 1896.

Application filed December '7, 1895. Serial No. 571,341. (No model.)

To all 1071 0712 it nmy concern..-

Be it known that I, DANIEL MCFARLAN MOORE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Means for Generating Electric YVaves or Oscillations, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for generating electric Waves or oscillations by interruptions of an electric circuit through which flows a current of electricity obtained from any suitable source. Said source may supply continuous currents or alternating or other varying currents. My invention is, however, especially suited for use with. continuous on rrents.

It has been before proposed to generate electric waves, oscillations, or disturbances suitable for producing luminous effects by breaking an electric circuit having considerable self-induction and through which a current from a battery or other source is flowing. To produce a continuous or practically continuous effect, a rapidly-operating interrupter or circuit-breaker has been employed, which will act to alternately make and break the circuit of induction, the circuit being made in one position of the interrupter and broken in another position. The difiiculty with such apparatus is that the closures of the circuit are so short that the circuit of induction does not have time to become f ully charged, and the effect of each interruption is much less than would be produced by the initial interruption after the circuit has stood closed for some time. The aim of my present invention is to overcome this difficulty and to produce stronger and more continuous effects in lighting or other uses of said oscillations or disturbances, to which end my invention consists in eombining'a number of interrupters and circuits of induction with a working circuit common to them and with suitable switch devices, all organized or combined so that the interrupters will act in succession and each circuit may have a prolonged time for charging during the operations of interrupting one or more of the other circuits, the switch devices acting automatically to connect each circuit of induction to the common discharge or working circuit at the time of interruption and immediately or soon after the discharge to connect it to the source for charging during the operation of other interrupters.

In carrying out my invention I may use a single switch device common to the circuits of induction and move said switch synchronously with the cycle of actions of the interrupters, or a separate switch may be combined with each interrupter in such manner that the movement of the same to interrupt the circuit of induction shall at the instant of interruption complete the connection of said circuit with the common working or discharge circuit.

' By the term circuit of induction" as used in this specification I mean any circuit which is adapted through sudden interruption of its continuity and by its own self-induction or induction upon a neighboring circuit to furnish electric waves, vibrations, oscilla tions, or disturbances such as will produce luminous eflfects in a rarefied gas or vapor contained in a glass receiver, and which, when. furnished according to my present invention, may be used for producing such luminous effects by the above or any other device suitable for giving luminosity by electric waves or oscillations or may be used for any other desired purpose.

Having described the general nature of my invention, I will proceed to describe one form of apparatus that may be used in carrying the same into effect, it being noted, however, that the mechanical and other devices for producing the required order ofactions and switchings and connections of circuit may, as will be well understood by those skilled in the art, be very greatly varied without departing from the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus for holding and operating in succession a series of interrupters, each having a switch for connecting the circuit upon which it operates to a working circuit. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a simplified diagram of the manner of connecting up the apparatus. Fig. 4 shows, diagrammatically, how a single switch might be used for a series of interrupters.

In Figs. 1 and 2 eight interrupt-ers areshown, though a greater or less number might be used. Each has its contacts preferably included in a highly-exhausted bulb or receiver, as described in my prior patent, No. 5-.l ,.l27, dated October 15, 1805.

A indicates the bulbs which are mounted in holes in a fixed frame composed of two plates B B, fixed on a hollow central stud or post 0. Each bulb is tilted in a gasket of soft rubber l) in the lower plate and is loose in the hole in the upper plate, so as to be capable of moving back and forth in a radial line. A spring I), which may also serve to make an electric connection with a metal ring or band E on the bulb, throws the bulb outward after it has been pressed inward and then suddenly released. The momentum of the contained parts when the bulb brings up against the outer edge of the hole in 13 affects the interruption and change of circuits.

1* is a spring .in the bulb weighted at its free end, as shown, and preferably forming itself a part of the circuits, so as to produce the switching action, and being for that purpose connected through the lower end of the bulb or tube A with a wire leading to the working or discharge circuit 10 and lamp or other translating device L. The weighted end of the spring is adapted to engage with a contactspring G by momentum and move said spring out of connection with a contact ll, thereby interruptii'lg a circuit of induction containing one of the series of coils I, and at the same instant connecting said coil or circuit with the workingcircuit, so that the latter may receive the waves or oscillations of discharge.

The cells I are self-induction coils of any desired kind and are used to add to the selfinduction of the circuit, but might be omitted when without them or by the presence of other devices in the circuits the necessary amount of induction exists.

The lamp L here shown is a tube of glass and containing a rarefied gas or vapor suitable for producing luminous effects under the action of the waves or oscillations generated at or near its ends. It is provided with bands or rings of conducting material, to which the circuit-wires are connected.

Contact-springs G may be connected with these several circuits and coils I by flexible connections joined to bands Gon the exterior of the bulb, to which bands the ends of the springs are connected through the wall of the bulb. Electrical connection between contacts ll and the circuit supplyingcurrent to the circuits of induction may be made by means of the springs l), pressing against the metal bands E on the outside of the bulb, but connected through the wall of the bulb with the contact ll. The springs .D are fasttmed to a metal ring on the post C, and said ring is connected with the source of current. To force the bulbs inward againstthe springs l) and release them in succession, a stud M,

mounted on arevolving frame N, may be used. The stud engages lovers 0, which press on the bulbs and move them inward. 'When the stud passes the end of the lever, the bulb is released and the interrupter acts, as before explained, to interrupt the circuit of a coil I and connect it to L, as shown in the diagram.

The parts are preferably so organized or arranged that the first movement only of the weighted spring will be of sullicient extent to break the circuit. The circuit of the coil is therefore immediately reestablished and so remains until the stud comes around to the same point after having acted on the other interruptcrs. It would nevertheless be within my invention if a number of interruptions should take place at each action of the stud.

The circuits and connections are more clearly indicated in Fig. 3, which shows one way in which the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2 may be connected up. Each coil 1 has one terminal connected to a supplyovire 1 and its other end connected to one of the springcontacts (-r. The opposite supply-wire (indicated by the negative sign) connects to the springs D, and thence to contacts ll. The supply-wires may run from any suitable source of electricity, as, for instance, a dynamo-generator.

Spring-contacts F are connected in common to one pole of the working circuit ll), leading to the device L, the opposite pole of the latter being connected to one of the supply-wires, (indicated by the sign Under this arrangement of connections the circuit of induction, which discharges into the working circuit 10, is the whole circuit, maintaining the coil 1 and the generator connected to the supply-wires.

Taking the case of any one of the interruptcrs the normal circuit is as follows: From wire 1" through coil I, spring G, contact ll, through one of the springs D back to the opposite pole of the circuit, and thence to thegenerator and to the opposite supply-wire. On the interruption by any interrupter-contact spring if interrupts this whole circuit by removing spring G from contact 11 and in making' contact with G thereby connects the one terminal of the coil I, joined to G, with the one terminal of the working circuit 10, which contains the lamp L, and whose other terminal connects to the supply-wire indicated by the negative sign.

The electric waves, oscillations, or disturbances generated in the normal circuit above described, through interruption of the circuit between G and ll. may now llow in or over the working circuit 10, the circuit being from terminal of coil I, by G, contact F, lamp L, supply-wire marked generator connected thereto, supply-wire marked i-, back to the opposite terminal of the coil 1. As will be seen, in this instance the normal circuit of induction includes not only coil 1, but all the wires or connections, including the prime generator, but, as will be obvious, does not illclude the circuit 10, passing from spring F, through lamp L, to the negative supple-wire, which circuit is herein termed the working circuit, as it contains the device upon which the vibrations or disturbances operate when generated by interruption of the main circuit and switched onto said working circuit.

As will be presently described, the circuit of induction need not, however, include the prime generator, and the discharge may take place only from the portion of circuit including the coils I. It will be seen that the working circuit containing-L is one common to a series of circuits containing coils I. When the mechanism is set into operation, the interrupters each operate momentarily to turn the discharge of the circuits containing coils I one after the other into the circuit 10, and immediately after such discharge each circuit is recompleted, and in the intervals of its interruptions the charging and discharge of the inductive type containing a mass of iron,

whose presence adds to the self-inductive capacity.

As already explained, with a single interrupter for the working circuit the makes and breaks succeed each other with such rapidity that the maximum effect cannot be obtain ed.

As willbe seen, during the time that each circuit of induction or portion of circuit of induction containing coil I is traversed by the current it is disconnected from the working circuit, owing to the fact that the contact F is normally out of connection with the spring G. Hence on the interrupt on of any circuit and the connection of the same with the working circuit the whole discharge can pass onto the working circuit and may not be shortcircuited through other circuits of induction. Instead of effectil'lg this latter result by a switch F G for each interrupter a single switch device might be employed, as indicated in Fig. 4:, where R indicates a stationary cylinder of insulated segments individually connected to the circuits of induction to receive the discharge, and S is a spring which may move over the cylinder and, being adjusted to make contact with each segment at the time the interrupter of the connected circuit acts, will receive the discharge of the several circuits in turn as their interrupters successively operate.

Any mechanism for operating the interrupters in succession at the desired adjusted speed may be employed, the switch being made to move synchronously with such mechanism.

The diagram Fig. 4 also shows how the circuits of induction which discharge into the workingcircuit may be independent of the generator connected with the supply-wires As will be seen in this figure, one terminal of the lamp L connects to the same supply-wire to which one terminal of the coil I connects. Normally the working circuit, which is that containinglamp L and is common to the branches containing the coils I, is disconnected by the switch R; but at the moment of interruption of said circuit of induction containing coil I by the switch D the spring S connects the working circuit to the circuit of I. Normally the circuit of each coil I is from one terminal thereof to spring Gr, supply-wire through the generator andthe opposite supply-wire to the opposite terminal of said coil. On the interruption of circuit of the coil I at G the circuit is from one terminal of the coil through switch R S, to lamp L, and thence directly to the other terminal of said coil without passing through the generator connected to the supply-wires. The circuits of induction whose discharges take place successively through the common working circuit contain only the coils I.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The herein-described improvement in generating electric waves, oscillations or disturbances by interruptions of a circuit of induction, consistingin momentarily interrupting in succession a series of such circuits, turning the electric waves, vibrations or disturbances produced by each interruption into a working circuit common to said circuits of induction, and in the intervals between interruptions of' each circuit and during the operation of other circuits, connecting each circuit to a source of electric energy.

2. The combination, substantially as described, of a series of circuits of induction normally connected to a source of electric energy and each adapted by interruption to generate electric waves, oscillations or disturbances, as described, a working circuit common to such series, a series of interrupters, one for each circuit of the series, operating in succession, and switch devices for momentarily connecting each circuit of induction at the time of interruption to the working circuit and at the same time disconnecting it from the other circuits of induction.

3. The combination, substantially as described, of two or more circuits of induction, each adapted as described to generate byinterruption electric waves, oscillations or dis turbances, corresponding interrupters operatin g in succession to each momentarily break its circuit, the remaining circuit or circuits being at such times of interruption connected to their source, and a working circuit, common to said circuits, and into which the electric waves or oscillations generated by said interruptions are discharged.

4. The combination, substantially as described, of a series of circuits of induction,

each adapted as described to generate by interruption electric waves, oscillations or disturbances, a working circuit common to the same, a series of intcrruptcrs one for each circuit of induction, means for operatingsaid interrupters in succession, and switch devices for connecting each circuit of ind uction to the working circuit simultaneousl with the action of its interrupter.

5. The combination of a circuit of induction, substai'itially such as described, a generator, a working circuit independent of said circuit of induction during the passage therethrongh of current from said generator, and an interrupter and switch-contacts connected therewith for shifting the circuit of induction to the working circuit simultaneously 

